


Cheap & Easy

by LitsyKalyptica



Series: Easy [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alex is good at things too, Alex likes space, Alex loves him, Alex terrorizes the neighborhood, Alex worries, Anniversary, Banter, Beaches, Boyfriends, But John worries too, Camping, Cityboy!Alex vs Countryboy!John, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dates, Dinosaurs, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fake Science, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Frogs, GWash is Alex's Not-Dad, IKEA, Ice Cream, Initials on a Tree, John is clumsy, John is stubborn, John's allergic to peanuts, Kissing Under the Bleachers, M/M, Making pizza together, Marshmallows, Massage, More Snuggling, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Pizza, Playgrounds, Rollerblades & Rollerskates, Spa Treatments, Stargazing, They're both nerds, happy endings, ice cream date, planetarium - Freeform, serious talk, suggestive ice cream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-25 15:58:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 8,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14382042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LitsyKalyptica/pseuds/LitsyKalyptica
Summary: Alex takes John on 13 weeks of cheap and easy dates.





	1. Sit on the dock and dip our feet in the water

Alex hadn’t expected the water to be this cold in May, but at least John was having fun.

Alex stood on the dock, considering how the water looked far too shallow for a boat to get anywhere near here, and decided that the dock must not be for boating. He looked up and smiled fondly, watching John wading in the lake. His jeans were rolled up just above his knees, still getting splashed as he walked. He seemed to be chasing something.

Alex rolled his own pants up, determined to join him. This was a date, after all. “What are you looking for, babe?”

“There was a frog on these rocks. I’m trying to catch him.”

Alex laughed and dropped into the water, letting it lick cold at the backs of his knees. He winced, bit back a whine, but waded over to his boyfriend. “Have you found it?”

“Shh!” He was bent low, closely examined the rocks right on the edge of the lake. He stood stock still, and Alex tried to do the same. After a very long moment, John lunged at the rocks. Alex gasped.

“John! John, are you alright? Are you hurt?” John had landed hard on the smooth stones, and Alex wasn’t sure he hadn’t hit his head. Alex almost went into a panic when he thought John was crying, but John turned over, laughing. Alex huffed. “Jesus Christ, what the hell was that?”

But John kept a wide grin on his face, and Alex couldn’t really stay mad at him. John unfolded his cupped hands to reveal a little frog.

Alex laughed softly, rubbing his face. “I’m proud of you, baby. You got it.”

“Here. Hold it.”

John tried to pass the squirming creature into Alex’s hands, but Alex flinched. You could take the man out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the man. John may have easily returned to his southern summers chasing frogs and various other unsuspecting critters, but Alex was not so eager to hold the slimy thing. “Noooo, I’d rather noooot…”

John huffed and rolled his eyes. “Please? I’ll kiss you if you do.”

“You’ll kiss me anyway.”

“Okay, true.” John let out the light laugh that Alex adored so much. “Alright, hold the frog and you can decide what you get in return.”

Alex considered. “Anything?”

“Within reason.”

Alex hesitated a moment, and then a minute, but finally held out a shaking hand. John rested his own hand underneath, steadying him, and dumped the frog into Alex’s hand.

Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as he expected. It wasn’t really slimy, more smooth and wet and soft. And it didn’t even last long, as the frog hopped out of his open palm after less than ten seconds, and Alex was definitely relieved.

John laughed and washed his hands in the lake water. Alex, trusting his favorite country boy, followed suit.


	2. Go rollerskating

Alex was surprisingly steady in the rollerskates; John was surprisingly not.

“I used to ice skate!” John insisted, letting out a quick yelp as he clung to the wall of the rink. Alex laughed and skated back and forth beside him, gliding with arrogant ease as John’s skates kept rolling out from under him.

“Did you? So what happened?”

“I stopped going. So… my balance isn’t what it used to be.”

Alex had to give it to him, though: John was nothing if not tenacious. He’d been floundering for a good fifteen minutes, holding tight to anything that could keep him upright as the skates slipped on the smooth floor. Alex watched him, leaning against the wall, smiling. “You had your turn to be good at something last week. Now it’s my turn.”

John huffed with a very small smile. “You’re good at too many things, Alex. Things that matter.”

“Like rollerskating?”

“More than catching frogs.”

Alex softened. “Here, babe, let me help, then.” He reached both hands out to John, love twinkling in his eyes with the rainbow lights of the disco ball.

John snickered as he took his hands. “You’ve never looked so gay, Alex.”

Alex threw his head back in a laugh. “Oh, I think I’ve looked much gayer.” He kissed him deeply, cupping his boyfriend’s face in his palm. “Okay. Are you ready to relearn?”

John held tight onto his hand. “Yeah. Teach me.”

They glided around the rink, slowly, Alex letting John cling to him and go at his own pace. John’s eyes were set, determined, and Alex was falling in love all over again.

The upbeat music in the rink transitioned into something slower, more romantic. 

“John?”

“Heh?”

Alex pulled him in, and John almost fell right into him. Alex wrapped him up in his arms, holding him gently, rubbing John’s back as he steadied himself. “Hey, I’ve got you.” Always.


	3. Eat ice cream in the park

“Alex, we’re holding up the line now.”

“I just wanna check the ingredients first. I’m not paying for my boyfriend to have an allergic reaction.”

“I ordered a popsicle, Alex, most popsicles don’t have any nut exposure.” He wrapped his arms around Alex’s waist from behind. “I don’t think we came out here today for you to terrorize the poor ice cream vendor.”

Alex sighed. “No, we didn’t.” Alex sighed and ordered a vanilla cone for himself, and the vendor handed over their treats as Alex slapped the money down on the counter. They walked away, ice cream or popsicle in one hand, the other hand holding each other’s.

They found a bench where they could sit and just relax in the sunshine. John sucked the popsicle almost entirely into his mouth. Alex licked around the cone where the ice cream was already dripping.

John smirked. “That’s hot,” he teased.

“You’re one to talk.”

They finished their snack without too much incident or suggestiveness. The ice cream had dried around Alex’s mouth, and John’s lips and tongue were stained purple. Alex turned, comfortably leaning sideways against the back of the bench, and just stared at his boyfriend. “Do you have your epipen?”

“Off brand, yeah.”

“If I kissed you right now, would you need it?”

John laughed and considered it. “Maybe we shouldn’t risk it. But if you wash the ice cream off your face, I’ll consider giving you a little smooch.”

Alex pulled out his water bottle, poured a little into his hands, and washed it over his mouth and cheeks. John watched, smiling, kicking the little blades of grass under his sneakers. 

“Hey, Alex?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Alex grinned. “I love you, too, you know that.” He dried his face off on his shirt. “Am I clean now?”

John giggled and nodded. “Yeah, but do me one more favor?”

“Yes? Of course.”

“I don’t really like vanilla. So can you put that chapstick on? I like the fruitiness, and it makes your lips so soft.”

Alex immediately began rummaging through his bag for the lip balm, smearing it on his lips almost sloppily. “Okay, I’m ready for my—!”

John eagerly leaned in and planted a chaste kiss on Alex’s lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you write boyfriends eating a popsicle and vanilla ice cream without it getting suggestive...?


	4. Make a blanket cave

“Four couch cushions, eight pillows, two blankets.”

“Let’s do this!”

Alex and John set to constructing the perfect blanket fort. There was some bickering about what was the perfect arrangement of pillows, but they were much in agreement on what would make for the comfiest pillow cave. They laid their couch cushions out on the floor, covered them with their comforter, lined three sides with pillows, and hung their sheet to hang over their fort from the couches. Well, Alex had to temporarily stitch two sheets together for it to reach, but it worked.

They took only a moment to admire their work before Alex gestured vaguely to the entrance. “After you, babe.”

John crawled inside, settling into the coziness of their construction. Alex followed him in shortly after, and with the two of them inside, they noticed just how small the space was. Neither was complaining, though. John just snuggled up against his boyfriend.

It was dark and soft in there, and they had plans to make popcorn and watch a movie on John’s laptop in their fort, but they could save that for later. Right now, cuddles. Alex pressed his face into John’s shoulder, breathing deeply. “You smell good,” he mumbled against a patch of freckles.

“New soap.”

“You didn’t tell me we got new soap.”

“Because ‘we’ didn’t, I did.”

Alex laughed and bit down, teasing. “You don’t wanna smell like me anymore?”

“No, I just liked this new soap. It’s for oily skin.”

“You don’t have oily skin.”

“Not anymore, because our soap is for oily skin, too. Now you can get a soap for your dry skin.”

Alex groaned half-heartedly. “I’m not going soap shopping. I’ll just steal yours instead.”

“If you want to smell like me, you’re just gonna have to wait until my hoodie starts smelling like it, hoodie thief.”

“I am not a hoodie thief.”

“That hoodie I have? The one that says ‘John’s Hoodie’ on it? I caught you wearing that yesterday.”

“Just in the house.”

“It doesn’t even fit you.”

“I like having sweater paws.”

“You can’t have sweater paws in my hoodie, it’s too small for you!”

“But your arms are longer.”

“No they’re not.”

Alex took John’s hand and tried to hold it up at arm’s length, but it knocked against the roof of their fort and he quickly retreated, not willing to risk their hard work collapsing on top of them. He still held onto John’s hand, though.

“Alex, I’m hungry.”

“Well, I’m too comfy to get up yet.”

“Not if I get up too.”

“Hm… Yeah, alright.”

He went to get up and out of the fort, but once he was standing up, he realized John wasn’t following him. “Hey!”

“Go make the popcorn!” called a giggling voice from inside. “I’ll set up the movie.”

“Well, you have to get out too, then, because your laptop’s in the kitchen! Also, stop leaving your laptop in the kitchen.”

“I have my phone, we’ll watch it on my phone!”

Alex smirked. “I don’t believe you have your phone on you. You left it on the charger, remember?”

John held his phone up outside the fort. Alex quickly snatched it from him and, laughing at John’s indignant shout, brought it with him to the kitchen.


	5. Look at dinosaur bones at the museum

“Okay, so how old is this one?”

John checked the placard in front of the enormous skeleton. “This says 151 million years, but he doesn’t look a day over 80 million!”

Alex snorted and filled in the scavenger hunt card. “And I think we just earned a free postcard.”

“Can I pick it out?”

“If we have a choice.”

John took Alex’s hand again and leaned heavily against him. “Which would win in a fight? The velociraptor or a maniraptor?”

“It doesn’t matter, the T-rex would eat both of them.”

“No, it doesn’t matter because they’re dead anyway. But, if they weren’t dead, I think a pack of, um, allosaurses could take down a T-rex.”

“How big a pack?”

“Need to total at least eighty percent of the rex’s weight.”

Alex laughed again. “Is that true?”

John shrugged. “Probably.”

“Okay, okay, so how many allosauruses are eighty percent of a T-rex?”

“We have to check them out again.”

They returned to both skeletons to see if there were estimates of their weights.

“Okay, so it says the allosaurus is supposed to be about 3,000 lbs. The T-rex is supposed to be 18,000 lbs. Oh, that’s easy math. We can say a pack of six could take one down easily!”

“That’s assuming your eighty-percent hypothesis is correct.”

John whined softly. “Alex, which of us has a degree in biology?” he teased, touching a finger to his boyfriend’s jaw.

“Neither of us, your dad made you study law.”

John whined louder. “Well, which of us has read more books on biology?”

Alex laughed and kissed him. “You did, you nerd.”

“You’re the nerd.”

“We’re both nerds.”

John kissed him back. “Come on. You owe me a postcard.”


	6. Go to the planetarium

“You ready to go into space?”

Alex couldn’t lie, he was probably even more excited about this date than John was. John was the ocean guy; Alex was the space guy. But, if nothing else, Alex thought that John might like the planetarium in the same way he liked the movie theater: even if he wasn’t interested in what was being shown, he’d appreciate the dark and cool place where he could cuddle up against Alex. And between looking at the stars and having John clinging to his arm, nuzzling his shoulder, Alex couldn’t think of a more perfect date.

So they were back at the museum. Alex scoped out what seats would allow for the best view. John followed along, smiling softly and humoring Alex’s attempts to find the best spot with no basis to go on. But as the show was about to start, and more people were filing in, Alex just made a quick decision for the both of them. They sat along the back of the round auditorium, much to John’s delight as he was able to immediately cuddle up against Alex in the shadows.

The room went dark, and the dome ceiling lit up with twinkling stars.

John gasped softly at the sight. Alex smiled. “You good, babe?”

“I…” But he didn’t say anything, just pressed closer to his boyfriend’s side.

Alex nuzzled him before returning his attention to the display.

They were shown the constellations, and a short film that took them through the solar system. It was a little cheesy with the alien characters, but everything looked so realistic, like they were really out in space and visiting all the other planets. Alex was enthralled straight up to the lights coming back on.

They walked out together hand-in-hand. John was still keeping close, and Alex decided to ask again is he was alright.

“I… I didn’t realize just how much I missed seeing the stars.”

Alex smiled and kissed his cheek. “We’ll try to get out of the city more often.”


	7. Toast marshmallows at the beach

They got out of the city that next weekend.

When Alex brought up the idea of going on a date to the beach, John was a little hesitant. It was late June by now, so everyone would be going to the beach this weekend. Alex had to rework his original plan, and came up with one that may have been even better.

They didn’t leave until six o’clock. Alex had already packed the little old sedan with what they’d need. They arrived at the beach at eight, and by then people were mostly starting to head out. John kicked around in the tide, urging Alex to join him, but Alex was digging a hole in the sand for the campfire. 

“I’ll be there in a few minutes, babe.” He set the dry driftwood up in the hole and was just bringing out his lighter when he heard a yelp and then a splash. Alex’s head shot up to find John had fallen to the ground on the shoreline. “John!” He scrambled to his feet and hurried over.

John rolled on the sand, laughing and shivering.

Alex hauled him to sit up. “Damn, what happened there?”

“Lost my footing. I think I slipped on a rock.”

“Clumsy little shit.” He kissed John’s wet hair. “Come on, I’ve got a blanket in the car.”

“Spare clothes?”

“Spare boxers. Maybe an old hoodie.”

“Probably mine.” John kissed him on the cheek and headed to the car not too far away. Alex returned to starting the fire. As he moved mechanically through what he’d learned in boy scouts, his mind started to wander a little bit. The sudden rush of fear when he thought John might have actually been hurt. It should’ve been nothing. But this was becoming a familiar feeling, and something they should probably talk about.

“Miss me?”

John’s hands were over Alex’s eyes. Alex jumped, suddenly jerked out of his trail of thought, and laughed. “Always.”

John removed his hands and came around to sit across the fire from his boyfriend. He was wrapped in a blanket, changed into one of his oversized hoodies that Alex kept in his car, the one with “THIS IS MY ZOMBIE KILLING HOODIE” written across the front. His shorts were gone, and Alex noticed those were definitely not the boxers he was wearing before they left the house.

“Where the hell did you change into those?”

“In the car.”

Alex laughed again. “What if someone saw you?”

“Then I’d just hope they’d enjoy the view.” He moved around the fire pit to sit next to Alex. “This is a date, right? I feel like we’ve barely spent any time together since we got here. What’s with the fire, anyway?”

Alex grinned and reached way over to pull the bag of marshmallows out from behind a rock.

“Yes!” John snuggled up against him, mumbling into his shoulder, an offer to share the blanket. “The fire’s warm.”

Alex brought out the sticks they would use to toast the marshmallows on. Alex held his over the fire into it was a golden brown. John held his over the fire until it caught on fire itself. “Ha! Here, toast yours over mine.”

“John, put that out!”

“What? No, it’s fine, I’ll put it out as soon as it’s done.”

Alex’s shoulders tensed as he watched the marshmallow burning just a foot away from John’s hand.

John blew it out and very carefully pulled it off the stick. He popped it in his mouth, munching, satisfied, until he noticed the look on Alex’s face. He swallowed and asked, “Alex? Are you okay?”

Alex took a breath and didn’t answer for a moment. But this was exactly the chance he was looking for. “Hey, um. I just want you to know I worry about you sometimes. I’m scared you’ll get hurt. I’m scared you’ll get hurt and I won’t be there or I won’t be able to help you. And sometimes it’s a stupid fear but when you’re falling and almost hitting your head on a bunch of rocks, or slipping in the waves on the beach, or getting too close to the fire, just… the worst ideas come to mind. And I know it’s stupid and I could handle myself doing these things no problem, but I can’t imagine any of it happening to you.”

John moved even closer to him, wrapping the blanket around Alex’s shoulders. “Hey. If it scares you that much, I’ll try to be more careful, okay?”

Alex bit his lip and nodded, even smiled a little. Maybe he didn’t have to feel stupid for worrying. John certainly didn’t make him feel like it.

“But can you do something for me, too?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, I get worried about you, too. All those late nights, always working yourself to the bone. If I tell you you need to eat, or to come to bed, it’s because I care about you. So as long as we’re trying to worry each other a little less, can you try to ease off on that a bit?”

Alex nodded again and kissed him. When they finally, finally, pulled away, they were still pressed up tight against one another —curled up under the blanket, watching the embers of the fire drift up toward the night sky.


	8. Write our initials on a tree

The idea seemed to mean a lot to John, but he didn’t let his excitement get him too far ahead of Alex. He laughed and took his boyfriend’s hand, helping him down from a boulder. “You’d think you never got out of the city before.”

“I barely have,” Alex murmured, letting John help him along. He liked holding his hand, anyway. He shook his head. “And we’re still in the city. Just in a forest.”

“Barely.” John laughed louder, startling a couple of birds overhead. One of them pooped on Alex’s shoulder, which only made John laugh harder at Alex’s face of disgust. And Alex found that he suddenly didn’t mind. He couldn’t mind any of it if John was this happy.

A few minutes later, John brought them to a halt. “This one! It’s perfect.”

It was a tall one, big and green. It provided all the shade they could need, and there was a patch of moss on the ground around the trunk. Alex took a moment to admire the deep, even brown of the wood. John was staring up into the canopy. “My guess? Seventy-five years old, at least.” He picked a bright green leaf off the tree. “Maple. And a healthy one.”

“I knew you read those books on trees for something.”

“You might find them interesting.”

“I’ll stick with my pop psychology self-help books.”

“You’re not allowed to psychoanalyze yourself!”

Alex laughed and stepped carefully over the moss, closer to his boyfriend. He wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him in tight to his side. “We’re all alone here.”

John hummed in acknowledgement, fiddling with the strap of his backpack. Alex kissed his ear, and John let out a short giggle, a precious sound to Alexander’s ears, one that he knew he must cherish. 

“You have everything we need?”

John nodded and dropped his bag carefully to the ground. He pulled out leftover containers filled with the various ingredients they needed, along with a packet of moss seeds. He sat on the soft ground, Alex plopping down next to him, and mixed everything together. “Alright. We’ll have to come back in maybe six weeks to see if it works.” He reached back into his bag and pulled out two paint brushes.

Alex and John stood side-by-side as they work. John held the concoction between them. Alex grinned. “Y’know, most couples just carve their initials into a tree.”

“I don’t want to hurt a tree.”

“Of course you don’t, you dork.” Alex painted the moss graffiti onto the trunk, shaping his initials with some difficulty. “Dammit, I can’t paint a straight line.”

John smiled and delicately finished off his own initials. “Do you need help?”

Alex grumbled and accepted. John took his hand to move it for him, surprisingly steady. “I don’t know why a paint brush is harder to use than a pen. It should be the same thing.”

“You normally don’t have to write vertically.”

“I will write any which way.”

“Okay,  _ most people _ don’t have to write vertically. Plus, it’s not exactly a smooth surface.” John finished up, dragging Alex’s hand to put a single stroke through the A and the H, and took a step back. They took a moment to admire their work.

J L ♡ A H


	9. Make pizza together

“Okay, I’ll keep the pineapples on my half.” Alex laid the slices on his side of the dough. “Just keep the pizza sauce away from my side.”

“If I put pizza sauce on your side, will you get rid of the pineapples?”

Alex laughed. “No. Then you’ll just eat my side.”

“You’re spoiling my plans.” John continued sprinkling mozzarella cheese over his half of the pie. He wasn’t even using sauce. “Are you sure you don’t want to try it?”

“Keep your rabbit food away from me, you heathen.”

“Says the man putting the Devil’s Ringlets on his pizza.”

“The Devil’s Ringlets?”

“You heard me.”

Alex waited until John had returned his focused attention to his own half of the pizza. He took two slices of pineapple, came up behind his boyfriend, and laid the slices over his eyes.

“AAH!”

Alex let out a loud laugh as he scurried out of the range of John’s swatting hands.

“Fuck you!”

They finished making the pizza without much more incident. Alex went for a ham and pineapple pizza for his half; John’s side was spinach and artichoke. Making sure both sides were cooked properly while not burning either was definitely tricky, but after about twenty minutes sitting in front of the oven, watching through the foggy window, everything came out perfect.

They cuddled up on the sofa and ate as they watched from trashy reality TV. Neither were especially into it, but it was entertaining enough while they finished their dinner. John was finished first, and immediately started clinging to Alex. “C’mon, finish up. I wanna make out.”

Alex chuckled and took an agonizingly slow bite of his pizza. “With the pineapple and everything?”

“You’re worth it.” John laughed softly. “Barely,” he teased, “but still.” He started kissing on Alex’ neck.

“Hey, John?”

“Hm?”

“Happy anniversary.”

John let out a quiet whine and buried his face in Alex’s neck. Alex rubbed his back, right between his shoulders, smiling softly.


	10. Home spa day

It had been a particularly draining week for both of them. Alex had been under three different and conflicting deadlines with records at the firm, and relief hadn’t come until almost eleven Friday night. Additionally, John had been away all week reluctantly visiting his family, and from the few Skype calls they could sneak in, Alex could tell John was feeling as exhausted emotionally as he was physically.

But John was coming home today. Alex was buzzing with excitement. 

Alex now just had to keep himself occupied until two o’clock. John had left first thing in the morning, and they’d spent three hours talking on the phone as he drove, Alex listening empathically as John vented about his week in Charleston. Alex was worried about John driving when he was clearly so upset, but John assured him that he would be fine as soon as he got home, that he just wanted to see him. Alex asked if he’d maybe feel better not talking about it for now. He could just listen to relaxing music or something.

“Yeah,” John had relented with a heavy sigh. “But first I need you to say you love me.”

Alex had smiled. “I love you. So much.”

“I love you, too. Okay, I’m chill now. I’m gonna let you go, I’ll just listen to that playlist you made me.”

“Glad to know you’re getting some use out of it.”

“Oh, come on, it was a great gift.”

“Not for our fourth anniversary.”

John laughed, the sound warming Alex’s heart even as it came through the poor speaker quality of the phone. “Well, you’re the one who got it!”

“It was a better idea in my head.”

“Hey. Babe. I love it, okay? I’m gonna listen to it now. Remember, two o’clock.”

“And you’ll never leave my side again?”

John laughed a little softer this time, only barely audible. “I sure hope so.”

Alex adjusted the towel on the sofa again. It was folded up on a cushion at one end, kept warm by a heating pad. Alex checked the clock again: 1:45. “Maybe I should heat it up again.” He took the pad and stuck it back in the microwave for a third time.

He was fidgeting as he moved around the living room. Everything was ready. John would be home any minute, and Alex couldn’t wait.

John came in at 1:59.

They hugged tightly, Alex dipping his head down to tuck his face against John’s shoulder. “Oh god, I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” John replied, voice quieter than Alex was okay with.

Alex pulled back after a minute’s embrace, and took his his tired but otherwise smiling boyfriend. “Y’know, I hate when you have to be down there, but the darker tan you always come back with looks… really good.”

John laughed and kicked his shoes off. “You can blame my little sis for dragging me to the beach every day.”

“Rather, thank her.”

They kissed quickly, softly, and Alex pulled back again quicker than either of them would’ve liked. “Anyway, I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?”

“Yeah. It’s still date night.” Alex was all but bouncing in anticipation. “I hate how tough this is for you every time, and I’m so, so sorry I couldn’t go with you. But I hope this will maybe make you feel better.”

“Alex, what is it?” John asked just as Alex started pulling him to the living room.

“Tada!” Alex showed off the arrangement.

“Oh, Alex…”

“I’ve got a home spa day all set up for you.”

John kissed him again, just a little harder this time. Even when he pulled back, only slightly, his hand remained on Alex’s cheek. “Hey. You look exhausted, too. So I hope you’re ready for your spa treatment, too.”

Alex grinned and started rolling up his sleeves. “Alright, alright. I can’t deny I’d probably love it. But let me take care of you first.” Alex pecked his cheek and played with the hem of John’s shirt. “You’re gonna have to take this off.”

John grinned and tried to make a show of it as he pulled the t-shirt up over his head. But his ponytail got caught on it, and that messed up the fluid motion in such a way that he got tangled up in his shirt. “Shit.”

Alex laughed loudly and helped him out. “I think you need a haircut.”

“Never.”

“Heh, okay. I like it anyway. Even when it makes you an awkward, blushing mess when you get stuck in your shirt. Mm… Especially when that happens.”

John dropped the shirt to the side and laid down. The couch was only long enough for two people to sit, so he had to cross his ankles up on the arm of the loveseat, but he could hide his flushed face in the soft towel. “Oh god, Alex, this towel is so warm.”

“You like it?”

“I love it.”

Alex smiled and spread some oil over his hands. “Okay, I’m gonna start the massage now. Let me know where you’re feeling the most tense.” He started between John’s shoulders, and got an immediate reaction. “Damn, John, this is quite the knot.”

“That’s been there since before Charleston.”

“I can only imagine it got worse, then.”

“Mm, yeah, but that feels good.”

Alex tried not to blush at the noises John was making. Not that he wasn’t enjoying it, but he wasn’t expecting the response to sound so…

“Alex..!”

“Mm, where do you need it, babe?”

“Lower back.”

Alex moved to knead at the muscles there, working them loose. He was following along with what he’d learned from those videos he’d watched last night when he couldn’t sleep. Alex finished in that spot and moved down to his boyfriend’s calves, slowly massaging his way up to his thighs.

“Alex…”

_ Fuck. _ “Okay, I think we can move on now,” he decided, speaking quickly.

John was relaxed and content, a little sleepy. “M’kay. I owe you a massage now. Come on. Shirt off.”

Alex obliged and unbuttoned his top before dropping it to the floor. He laid down where John had just been, relishing the warmth, and allowing himself to enjoy the massage. John was much better at this than he was.

They showered together, soft music playing in the background. They took some time to make out a bit but didn’t let it get too heated; Alex chuckled and promised that could come later. The water off but still standing in the shower, Alex rubbed some special lotion into his boyfriend’s skin.

Alex gave John a set of brand new flannel pajamas (a gift that got him another happy kiss) and went to change the sheets on their bed.

“Alex?”

He turned and saw John was standing, in his pajamas, in the doorway to their bedroom. Alex smiled. “You look cute, babe.”

John smiled a little but his eyes were averted. “Alex, I thought we wanted to keep our date nights cheap now.”

“Oh, we do…”

“This doesn’t feel like it was as cheap and easy as some of the others.”

Alex sighed softly and sat on the bed, patting the spot next to him for John to sit beside him. John did so, and Alex wrapped an arm around him. “I just wanted to treat you today. You’ve been so upset all week, and I know how hard you tried to hide it from everyone, but I know you better than that.”

John hummed softly and laid his head against Alex’s shoulder. “Better than my own family.”

Alex kissed his head. “Hey… Maybe I could be your family now.”

“You’ve been my family for more than four years.”

The reply was so quick, so easy and simple, that it brought tears to Alex’s eyes. He took a deep breath, trying not to let his joy drive him to distraction. “Come on. Let’s watch a movie.”

They laid together in bed, watching  _ Love, Simon _ on Alex’s laptop. John struggled to stay awake until the end. 

Alex smiled. “Babe, you’ve watched this movie twelve times already. Go to sleep.”

“I wanna see his happy ending…”

Alex just hummed and kissed his head, and as John finally fell asleep, knew he’d already found his happy ending.


	11. Play on the playground

“We probably shouldn’t be here this late. I think the park closes at dusk.”

But the idea didn’t stop either of them. John and Alex waltzed into the mostly empty playground, hand in hand. Alex started for the swings, but John pulled him off in the direction of the jungle gym. “We’re at the playground, we’re gonna have fun like the little kids we are at heart.”

Alex grinned and followed along with it.

Work had been rough again this week, for both of them. Alex had new deadlines, and John was catching up from the time he’d reluctantly spent down south. “This is just what we needed, Alex,” John said, voice light, slipping down the bright purple slide that seemed to glow in the last dregs of day. And Alex had to agree: just a short break from adult life.

Alex climbed the ladder and stayed a moment up at the top. “Yeah, but you know what it makes me think about?”

“Huh?”

“It makes me wonder what it would’ve been like to know each other as kids.” Alex slid down to briefly meet his boyfriend at the bottom, standing up quickly enough to give him a quick kiss before he could take his turn again.

John grinned and climbed back up to the top of the slide. “I don’t think we would’ve survived each other.”

“Oh? Why not?” Alex just waited at the base of the slide and waited for him.

“From all we know about each other as kids, I would’ve been a bad influence.”

Alex laughed softly. “I don’t know. I think I was a little too serious as a kid. Had to grow up too early… I think I could’ve used a friend like you.”

“I would’ve gotten you into so much trouble.” John joined him after another round.

“Some things never change.” Alex took his hand, not letting him go around again just yet. He brought their hands up to his face and kissed John’s knuckles. “I think I missed you before I even met you.”

John laughed and pulled his hand loose. “Cheesy. You’re better than that.” John seemed to grow tired of the slide and took Alex’s hand again to pull him up and over to the monkey bars. Neither of them were exactly tall, but both were tall enough that they could reach the bars without taking their feet off the ground. “Here, hold me up.”

Alex giggled and squatted down to grab John around his thighs. “Pray I don’t drop you.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Oh, drop your boyfriend one time and he never lets it go.” Alex hoisted him up and nuzzled the small of his back. “Alright, come on, you’re heavier than I remember.”

“Then stop stuffing me with potato skins.” John moved easily from one bar to the next. To his credit, he was mostly keeping himself up.

“Hm, I don’t know. It seems to all be going to your ass and thighs, and I like that.”

“Stop objectifying me.”

Alex laughed and kissed where John’s shirt was riding up a bit. “I’m kidding, Jack. You’re just as fit and handsome as ever.”

“Those two aren’t mutually exclusive. Now come on, we’re almost at the end!”

Alex just barely needed to do anything, but took half the credit when John reached the end of the monkey bars. John shoved him, hard but playful. Alex just laughed, and rejected the offer to have his own turn.

John hummed and examined the rest of their options. His eyes lit up when he caught sight of the baseball diamond. “Hey, I’ve always wanted to try something with you. Come on.” He grabbed Alex’s arm and gently tugged him across the field. Alex followed, eagerly curious.

“What are we doing?” he asked as John led him to crawl under the bleachers.

“My first kiss was hidden away during a football game. Under the bleachers, just like this.” He knelt in the long, prickly grass, and took both of Alex’s hands now. “Just like this.” He leaned in and kiss Alex deeply, slowly. When they pulled away and opened their eyes, the sun was finally gone from the sky. 

Alex felt light, airy, with only a hint of jealousy. “You kissed another guy like this?”

John laughed and looked down at their linked fingers. “Well, I don’t think it was like that. Less love. And I think we had to be quicker about it, because there were people actually sitting in the bleachers, and neither of us were out or anything.”

Alex laughed this time. “How ironic that your closeted kiss was so public, and your out-and-proud kiss is so much more private.” He brought one hand up to touch John’s cheek, smoothing his thumb over a line of freckles. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish I was your first kiss.”

“No. We both would’ve deserved better.”

Alex frowned. “What?”

“I couldn’t be out then. I would’ve wanted to take you out and ask you to prom and everything, and it would kill me that I couldn’t. I’m glad you’ve only known me since I’ve been out.”

Alex’s mouth twitched with the stirrings of a soft smile. He brought his other hand up to cup John’s other cheek, but John’s hand didn’t seem done with him yet as it came to cover the one it’d just been holding. Alex smiled brightly and pulled his beloved boyfriend in for a deep kiss.


	12. Browse furniture

“Come join me, Jacky~”

“Alex, we’re in IKEA, button your shirt.”

Alex laughed and did the top two buttons back up, climbing off the display bed. “Alright, but really, don’t tell me you’d shop for your dream home at an IKEA.”

“Of course I would. How else would we make a mess of putting it all together?”

The fact that John used “we” when talking about his dream home made Alex’s heart jump. “Well, um, what are we looking at next?”

“Mm, I was thinking tables and kitchenware.”

“This is so fucking domestic,” Alex said, smiling.

John nudged him with his shoulder. “We’ve been living together for three years, Alex, I’d be worried if we weren’t all domestic by now.”

Alex laughed and kissed his cheek. “So, what did you have in mind for the kitchenware? Do we want to match the pots and pans to the cabinets? Or to the tablecloth? Ooh, what about the countertop? Do we have a granite countertop, Jacky? Please, I’ve always wanted one!”

John grabbed him around his neck, pulling a giggling Alex into a headlock. “Do you want to take this even a little seriously?”

“I can’t think about a future with you and not take it seriously.”

John let him go as he turned away so that Alex wouldn’t catch him blushing. “Alright you donut, we can have a granite countertop.”

“And white cabinets?”

“But then we’ll need light-colored walls.”

“Yes, sounds perfect. But not white. I don’t want our home to look like a hospital.”

“We’ll go paint shopping once we can agree on a color.”

Alex kissed all over his cheek, clinging tight to John’s side. John laughed and almost went to push him off, but he really didn’t want Alex anywhere but right there with him. “If we get rude comments because you can’t control yourself, we’re not getting ice cream on the way out.”

“Is IKEA’s ice cream peanut free?”

“I think so.”

“If not, you can’t have any, anyway.”

“I’ll get something else.”

“Can we get hot dogs?”

“No, we’ll get hot dogs when we get back to the city.”

“Ice cream and then hot dogs? That sounds backwards.”

John grinned. “We’ve never been much for rules, Alexander.”

Alex’s lips trailed down to John’s neck, and then he finally had to push him off —gently, with the unspoken suggestion that they could pick up where they were leaving off once they got home. Alex just chuckled and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

They stayed in the store a while longer, making note of the items that interested them, getting lost only twice before they finally found their way out. They didn’t buy anything except some dollar ice cream cones before leaving the store. John sighed softly and licked around the cone before the melted cream reached his fingers. “Y’know, I thought it wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to come here and not buy anything.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Alex tried to shape his ice cream into a perfect swirl.

“I know. And… I like it. I like when we do stuff like this.”

Alex smiled, lips sticky. “Just going out, spending time together, even if we have nothing to show for our shopping excursions.”

John shrugged, a small smile coming to his mouth before he licked the treat again. “Well, we always have the memories.”

“I think that’s worth something.”

“It’s worth a lot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter's the last one!


	13. Stargazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Enjoy!

**_Alex:_ ** _ Hey, can I borrow your pickup? _

**_Not Dad:_ ** _ Huh? For what? _

**_Alex:_ ** _ I have a date with John tonight and my sedan’s just not gonna cut it. _

**_Alex:_ ** _ It’s just for the weekend. I’ll bring it back Sunday night, and you can have my car in the meantime. _

**_Not Dad:_ ** _ Yeah, that’s fine. Just drive safe, alright? _

**_Alex:_ ** _ Thanks. John and I will drop by for it around one. _

**_Not Dad:_ ** _ No problem, son, we’ll be here. _

**_Alex:_ ** _ One more favor, please. _

**_Not Dad:_ ** _ Hm? _

**_Alex:_ ** _ How many spare blankets do you have? _

 

They headed out that afternoon. John held his arm out the window, hand sailing in the wind as Alex drove them up I-87. Alex’s fingers were so tight on the steering wheel the pattern of the worn leather was being etched into his palms. A little over two hours into their road trip, he almost missed their exit.

There was a car in the turning lane already. Alex only narrowly avoided it.

“Shit, Alex,” John exhaled, gripping onto the ‘oh shit’ handle above the window. “Do you want to pull over, let me drive the rest of the way?”

“Ah, no, John, I’m sorry. I was just a little distracted. I’m good now, I promise. Besides, you can’t drive stick.”

“I could figure it out.”

“You can barely drive at all.”

“I got my license, didn’t I?”

“You drive like you’re from Jersey.”

John laughed a little and settled back into his seat. “Okay… Let me know if you change your mind, okay? Or don’t, just pull over and we’ll switch. I’d, uh, rather not die today.”

Alex nodded and reached across the console to take John’s hand, his other hand loosening on the wheel. “Um, John? Do you know how much you do for me? Like… without trying, even.”

John gave him a small smile. “I’m glad you think so, Alex. And I hope you know how much you do for me, too.” He laughed softly. “With or without trying.”

Alex squeezed his hand and drove them up into the mountains.

John still didn’t know where they were going or what the plans for this date night were, other than getting out of the city. He was just going along with whatever Alex had planned: it would be enjoyable no matter what they did, as long as they were doing it together.

John took a short nap, and when he woke up, they were parked up on top of a mountain. “Oh shit.” Even from the passenger seat, the view was amazing, and he was quickly fumbling to get out the door to see it even better. He moved to the edge of the rocks, right up to the edge of a steep cliff. “Alex! Alex, are you seeing this?” He looked back over his shoulder, eyes darting left and right in search of his boyfriend.

They weren’t the only ones up there. There were tourists taking pictures of the surrounding landscape, all of them in almost as much awe as John had been. But Alex was nowhere in sight.

“A-Alex? Where are you?” He shouldered his way through a small crowd, weaving around various others, the beauty of the place lost to him as he sought out something much more valuable. And as Alex still failed to make an appearance, John started to feel his chest tighten. “Alex?” he called again. “Come on, this isn’t funny. Come on out, we have to take pictures!”

Still nothing. No sight of him.

John’s legs carried him faster down the trail as he left the scenic overlook behind him. He was shaking now, turning in circles, only to find himself terribly alone. “Alex!”

“Yeah?”

John spun around and found Alex coming back up the trail.

“Are you o—”

But Alex was suddenly stumbling backward as John collided into him, suddenly wrapped up in such a tight embrace he almost couldn’t breathe. Alex let out a soft laugh and gently pried John off of him.

“John, I was gone barely ten minutes.”

“I didn’t know where you were.”

“You didn’t see my note?”

“... What note?”

“I left a note on the dashboard. I just wanted to check out the trail a bit, see if we could find anywhere just for ourselves.” He ran a thumb along John’s cheekbone. “What did you think happened?”

“I don’t know, Alex. I guess I didn’t think anything happened, exactly. I just thought you were suddenly gone. I couldn’t find you, you weren’t answering. I… I don’t know, I got scared.”

Alex smiled and kissed his nose. “I know the feeling. Come on, let’s take in the view from up there.” He took his boyfriend’s hand and they headed back up the soft slope.

They sat near the edge, just far enough from the drop-off that Alex didn’t have to worry about either of them falling, just talking. Alex munched on trail mix while John had some plantain chips. It was a comfortable time together, out in the bright sun but cooling breeze. They spent a couple of hours like that. The tourists started to thin out as the day came to a close. “Come on, do you want to explore the trail a little before we set up camp?”

John’s eyes lit up. “We’re camping out?”

“Kind of. There’s a campground about two miles away. We’ll park there, and we can sleep in the bed of the truck, so it’s like camping out but without having to sleep on the ground. Still can get cold and covered it bugs, though. I thought it might be a good compromise for us.”

It was enough for John, who wrapped his arms around Alex’s neck. “Thank you, Alex, this is great.”

Alex grinned and kissed his ear. “No frogs this time, though, okay?”

But John just kissed him hard. When they pulled apart, breathless and smiling, Alex cleared his throat a little.

“Seriously, no frogs.”

John burst into a fit of radiant laughter, doubled over with the force of it, and Alex couldn’t help but laugh, too. “What— What if I find a turtle?”

“You can pick it up, but you’re not taking it home.”

John tried to pout, but just kept laughing.

 

They went on a hike before dusk. Alex had no trouble walking distance after living in the city for so long, but the terrain was very different, and he found himself lagging behind John more often than not. But John was ever patient with him and would hang back whenever he noticed Alex wasn’t keeping up.

After a couple of hours out walking and admiring the wooded scenery, they plopped back down in the front seat of their borrowed truck, and Alex got them to the campsite.

It was a secluded clearing in the forest, the sky open up above them. And as the sun went down and Alex was getting their food out of the back, John noticed the stars twinkling above them.

“Alex…”

Alex saw him staring in awe up at the sky, and smiled. “I know, babe. I know how much you’ve missed this. I told you we’d get out of the city more often.”

John didn’t reply; he just came up behind Alex, wrapped his arms around him, tucked his cheek against Alex’s shoulder.

Alex set the food down and turned around in his arms, pulling him into his own embrace. He kissed his cheek softly. “Happy anniversary.”

“Five years ago today… the day we met…”

Alex smiled. “Student housing, first week for early move-in students. You lived across the hall from me.”

“And by the end of the week my roommate had been so shitty to me that I had to move out.”

Alex rubbed his back softly.

“You found me crying in the lounge.”

“And twenty minutes later you were your happy, confident self again.”

“Mostly because of you.”

Alex kissed his cheek, just held him for another minute. “Come on, dinner time.”

Alex had wrapped black bean burgers up in tin foil, chips and a six-pack of cola taking up the rest of the bag. They ate sitting side-by-side, enjoying each other’s company and the stillness of the night. Before they knew it, the garbage and rest of the food was packed away, and they lay in a pile of blankets arranged in the bed of the truck, watching the stars.

Alex spared a glance at John, who looked so peaceful and content with the view above them that he knew, with utmost clarity, that this was it: this was his future, everything that would ever matter from here on out, lying next to him. “John?”

John turned to look at him. “Yeah?”

Alex untangled himself from the blankets, fidgeting, eyes averted as John sat up with him. “I, um, I did some calculations, and by my figures we’ve saved about $650 these last thirteen weeks.”  _ Great, start it out with math _ , he thought, mentally kicking himself.

John gave a few soft claps, smiling. “Good for us, we’re getting better at this adult thing.”

Alex gave a short laugh, both hands tucked behind his back. “Um, yeah, we are. But that money’s all gone now.”

“What? What happened, did you get robbed or—”

“No, no, John, I spent it.”

“Huh?”

“I… I sort of planned it from the beginning. I had something in mind that was going to require some saving up. And… I don’t want it to happen at any other time but now.”

He took a deep breath to steady himself.

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately, John. I’ll finally, finally, be finishing school this winter, and thus will begin the phase of my life in which I always thought I would make the most of the life I’ve been given. I thought for so long that these long years in school were just a means to an end, just a precursor to my real life. I never expected that in the meantime I would find something that would redefine everything I ever wanted. You, and my love for you, are the only constants that I will ever be certain of in my life. I don’t know who I will be tomorrow, or next week, or two or twenty years from now, but I know that whoever I am then will love you even more than I do now. There is no happy ending for me that you do not star in. But… adept as I am with words. Everything I just said now, carefully prepared as it was, is insufficient, because words alone cannot describe how I feel for you. ‘I love you’ isn’t really enough; it can’t capture the breadth and depth of my feelings, and I’ve never felt as intensely about anything, ever, as I have about you. About… About us. So, on the rare occasion that words have failed me —such as now— I can only hope action will make up for it.”

He pulled the ring out of his back pocket.

John gasped.

It was a simple silver band, a small green stone set into the center. Alex was shaking as he held it up in the small space between them.

“And so, if you’ll have me, let’s start the next chapter of our life.”

Alex had tears in his eyes. John downright sobbed. 

That was okay, Alex was barely keeping himself together, too.

“Yes, yes, Alex, let’s do it.” John’s hands were shaking and unsteady as he reached clumsily for Alex, and Alex brought him into his arms, held him in his lap, held him close. “I love you. I love you.”

“I love you too. Always.”

Before he could put it on John’s finger, Alex, as he’d almost forgotten to do, showed him the small inscription inside.

A H ♡ J L

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything's led up to this moment; the moment that would change their lives forever.  
> Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think, and if I should take it anywhere from here :)

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to comment!


End file.
